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An Acromantula is a large venomous spider, covered in thick black hair. It is a carnivorous creature and has pincers which create a distinctive clicking sound when aroused. The female is larger than the male and lays up to one hundred eggs at a time. Acromantulae are intelligent beasts, capable of human speech, although not self-taught.

Acromantulae originated in Borneo dense jungles, where wizards were said to have bred them, and are one cause of the Ban on Experimental Breeding being put into effect. Acromantula venom is apparently exceedingly valuable, but it is nearly impossible to obtain from the living spider, and as acromantulae eat their dead, it is very uncommon to find one that can still be harvested. Their eggs — large, soft and white in colour — are Class A Non-Tradeable Goods.

Spiders in general, and large spiders in particular, have been a focus of human fear from time immemorial. Some theories suggest that fear of spiders may be inborn. Whether learned or inborn, extreme irrational fear of spiders, Arachnophobia, is one of the most common types of phobia people suffer from.
The literary tradition is also rich in spider villains. One of the most obvious examples is the giant spider Shelob in J.R.R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings